Peace and Goodwill

For many of us, our biggest and most stressful holiday season is here. Despite all of the hype about Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Super Saturday, you may be able to keep the spirit of the holiday in your heart – year round. After all, what we cultivate and nurture inside is what others see on the outside.

Cultivate Internal Peace

The peace you feel or don’t feel inside yourself is “catching”. It is reflected to the people you lead whether you realize it or not. Why not consider some new ways to

cultivate the peace inside that you’d like to see in your organization:

Don’t get caught up in the strife: It’s easy to be pulled into unnecessary conflict, or to deal with it in a way that is unproductive. Choose patience first, and then decide to use a calm and purposeful way to deal with it.

Pause: Once every hour, take a moment away from your own inner turmoil. Take a deep breath and notice what is going on around you. Stay present for a minute or two by listening to the sounds you hear; how many of them are there?

Block out time to journal, reflect, meditate, pray, listen to music or read. Fifteen minutes is all it takes! My favorite time of day to do this is at the end of my work day; it’s when I feel most stressed. What’s yours?

Express Goodwill

Goodwill is the outer expression of the peace that we feel inside. Who wouldn’t want less turmoil and more compassion in their organization? Some thoughts on expressing more goodwill:

Notice when others are doing the right things. Watch for collaboration, kindness, a willingness to go the extra mile. We seem to be hard-wired to be critical – but what might happen if you consciously look for what’s good?

Express what you’ve seen others doing that furthers goodwill. Out loud. In the moment. Thank them for it. Encourage them to continue, and to be leaders in their own way. We can all be more vocal about the good others are doing.

Celebrate goodwill. Sing it from the mountaintops, because it needs to be more common. Talk about it. Model it. Rejoice and revel in it.

May you have peace in your heart and express goodwill all year long. I am grateful that you have been my guests here. I’m taking a little time away from writing in this space, and will be back after the new year.

Continue reading here: Set intentions for your life and leadership journey

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